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2020-11-04
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Lonely Ruins

Summary:

A newly regenerated Time Lord comes to a planet to recuperate. What he finds is not what he was looking for.

Work Text:

Title: Lonely Ruins
Author: Poodle
Rating: PG
Summary: A newly regenerated Time Lord comes to a planet to recuperate. What he finds is not what he was looking for.

 

 

Lonely Ruins
By Poodle~

 

Solemnly the Time Lord surveyed the desolate remains of yet another extinguished civilization. How many had died here, he wondered briefly.

Shoulders slumped; he leaned with quiet resignation against one of the few remaining columns of what once had been a magnificent structure. He marveled at the race's technology that had built it. The Alterians had been quite advanced in their architectural pursuits, but sadly enough, only these columns remained, for their world was a smoldering ruin.

The Alterians were simply another example of a race out-pacing their own intellect. The result almost always ended the same -- premature annihilation of an otherwise hopeful culture.

"Fools!" He spat the word into the gloom, but in spite of himself, he mourned their loss.

The past several weeks had been extremely trying. A recent regeneration had left him tired and spent, and he'd come here for a bit of relaxation, instead, he found this lovely world a hopeless, lifeless wasteland. If weariness had not overwhelmed him, he might have simply returned to his TARDIS and left, instead, he remained, taking a seat on a crumbling step.

Once, Alteria had been a favorite spot. He'd come here often. In fact, in a private sense, it was considered a "home away from home," a final place of refuge, but now, even that was lost to him.

A dry, mournful wind began to blow, stirring up the plentiful mounds of dust and ash, sending them whipping -round him, and bringing with it the quiet desolation that sometimes creeps into the soul. Was this regeneration somehow different?

He shook himself and decided it was best to leave.

Alteria would become just another smoldering memory in a long, lonely, series of memories. He'd store it away with all the rest. One had to simply accept or go insane. Perhaps, he'd done a bit of both.

Slowly he rose.

"Help me. Please!"

The cry brought him up short and he turned as an indistinct blur came rushing from beyond the ruins.

Astonished that life still existed, he stared in wonder at the disheveled, dirt-covered form that fell in a weeping heap on the ground before him.

"Oh, please...please, don't leave me!" It begged. "They're dead, all dead..."

Then as "It" gazed up at him with huge, innocent brown eyes, he realized "It" was a young frightened girl. Her body trembled with fear, and her eyes pleaded with the desperation of the damned.

Taken aback and wondering what he could possibly do for this poor wretched child, her voice again burst into his thoughts.

"Take me with you - please! Whoever you are. Anywhere you go would be better than this...this horrid empty place!"

Reaching down with a swift, strong motion, he pulled her to her feet. For a moment, she swayed, then fell against him. Her closeness was starling, but he did not pull away.

For a time she wept, out of control, and he allowed it. But when the tears threatened to become blind hysteria, he pushed her away, giving her a good, hard shake.

She gulped then caught her breath, the tears finally subsiding.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Are there other survivors?"

The girl simply shook her head, drying the tears with a dirt-smudged hand. "You *must* help me!"

"I must?" His eyes grew wide. "Now what could I possibly do for you, young lady?"

"Take me with you," she repeated.

Peering into her smut stained face, he could tell that beneath the dirt, her skin was fair and smooth, in fact quite comely.

"How old are you?" he demanded.

The girl paused, confused by the question. "Eighteen," she whispered.

"Have you no parents?"

"Dead!" Again, hysteria threatened. "All dead. You must help me, sir. Please!"

The Time Lord merely snorted. "Do calm down!" he ordered, startling her to complacency. "I've no idea what I could possibly do with you. And besides, I've an appointment to keep. I'm extremely busy, you know, and haven't the time for every wayward waif."

"You can't just leave me here!" Again it seemed as if the girl would fall prostrate before him, but he grabbed her arms to prevent it.

"Very well, *very* well!" He stormed. "But do calm down and let me think."

Silently, he appraised the girl. Wondering at the holocaust she'd managed to survive and the extent of the trauma she still exhibited. The girl was weak, tiny and frail. Perhaps, she would not continue to live at all - the others apparently hadn't.

Then another thought occurred, from out of the blue, and it gave him quite a jolt.

"You would come with me?" He found himself inquiring softly.

A gentle, trusting smile crossed her face. "Oh, yes," she breathed.

"Anywhere?" he continued. "Anytime? You'd be surprised at the places I might go."

Again, she reaffirmed her trust. "Anywhere. Anytime."

He contemplated those varied places, endless lonely nights on a million nameless worlds...and again he thought of the girl. She was young, which was true. Yet, there certainly was potential.

"Very well. You'll come with me." He heard the words before reality dawned that they'd been spoken.

The girl's eyes opened wide, thankful. "I'm Cara," she announced, holding out a hand.

But the Time Lord simply ignored it, choosing instead to reach out and touch the smoothness of her cheek. For a moment, he considered.

Again her eyes, large and inquiring, curiously met his. "And you, sir. Who are you?" she asked.

Pleasantly he smiled. A fleeting, ghost of a smile, he did not know that he possessed - still, the devil danced behind dark eyes.

"I, my dear, am the Master."

 

~End